Obama floats idea of mandatory voting

[MoreCoffee]

I reckon you USA folk need to be forced to vote. Most of you don't bother. You need a kick up the posterior to get you voting properly!

 

[gurneyhalleck1]

I agree. And what you said conjured up images of the confession line! I know it sounds silly, but what you said struck a chord in that I can't get over how you see elderly people, we're talking like 85-95 years old, in confession lines and they make the poor person wait! You have 20-somethings in line who could EASILY say, "why don't you go ahead of me?" but they have no manners and make the poor person wait. I've seen it with pregnant women also. Crazy.

it's like we've lost our manners as a society

I don't support mandetory voting but more should be done to encourage all eligible voters to vote. The ballot casting process should be quick, simple, widely available and virtually immediate. I know young mothers who don't vote simply because they don't want to wait in a line with young children who might bother others, that's not right. We should seek out the roadblocks that keep people from voting and address them.

 

[graceandpeace]

I don't think attempting to force people to vote would be wise. I really do think it's time for an easier method of voting to become the norm though, like voting by mail or even on a computer. I think Oregon or Washington or some other state already has voting by mail, I wonder how that works for them?

 

[ebia]

sure. why not? just make people have a day off from both federal and state elections, you know, like other countries do. and still have employers compensate their employees for that day. okay?

hello?

hello?

Eh?

Australia does have manditory voting. Elections are held on Saturdays. There are no days off.

If you have factors that are stopping people from being able to vote you need to fix that.

 

[LoAmmi]

Are there ways to write in if someone couldn't vote on Saturday.

 

[parousia70]

Vote By Mail works great here in Oregon. I love it.

Our New Governor just signed the motor voter law that automatically registers to vote everyone with a State Issued ID. Love that too.

Mandatory Voting probably not necessary here if the goal is swelling the voter rolls, but I'm not necessarily against it.

 

[ebia]

Are there ways to write in if someone couldn't vote on Saturday.

One can organise a postal vote in advance or an early vote, but what sort of "can't vote on Saturday" did you have in mind?

 

[parousia70]

The young liberal punks that can't spell correctly or complete simple math will look at who isn't a bigot, which to them means who is pro-abortion and pro-gay marriage, and who allows them to bum out and get high, and that's who they will vote for. We would be in a world of trouble.

As My friend gurney pointed out, liberals hardly have a corner on the ignorant uneducated voter market.

This objection goes all the way back to the founding of our country, Jefferson and Adams went back and forth about it quite a bit... Adams was wary and frightened of "the Rabble" as he called them, and did not want them to be able to vote, While Jefferson preferred a more inclusive voter roll, and trusted the common citizenry to make proper choices for themselves.

and who allows them to bum out and get high

But when you bum out and get high yourself, that's different?
We should trust that your "bummed out highness" won't adversely effect your judgement in these matters, but we shouldn't extend that trust to anyone else?

 

[ebia]

Vote By Mail works great here in Oregon. I love it.

Our New Governor just signed the motor voter law that automatically registers to vote everyone with a State Issued ID. Love that too.

Mandatory Voting probably not necessary here if the goal is swelling the voter rolls, but I'm not necessarily against it.

manditory voting isn't usually about swelling the electoral roll - though a side effect is that you need the electoral roll to collect everybody without their active cooperation.

It's about getting a high turnout on the day. Although the penalty for not voting in a federal election is pretty small, it generates the expectation that everybody will vote.

 

[LivingWordUnity]

I'm guessing that the vote will automatically be cast for the Democrat party if the person doesn't show up at the polls.

 

[LivingWordUnity]

I don't think attempting to force people to vote would be wise. I really do think it's time for an easier method of voting to become the norm though, like voting by mail or even on a computer. I think Oregon or Washington or some other state already has voting by mail, I wonder how that works for them?

It's Obama showing his dictator tendencies again. Dictators have a compulsion for manipulating people and forcing them to do things. The assumption, as Obamacare architect Jonathan Gruber put it, is that the American voter is stupid. So it will probably also be decided that the American voter isn't smart enough to choose the right candidate. That can be decided for them by Obama who, of course, would choose himself.

 

[parousia70]

I'm guessing that the vote will automatically be cast for the Democrat party if the person doesn't show up at the polls.

There is no such thing.

 

[parousia70]

It's Obama showing his dictator tendencies again. Dictators have a compulsion for manipulating people and forcing them to do things.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aD3xfT0c99g

 

[LivingWordUnity]

Bush must not be that much of a dictator since he allowed Obama to take his place as POTUS.

 

[ebia]

It's Obama showing his dictator tendencies again. Dictators have a compulsion for manipulating people and forcing them to do things.

So australia is a dictatorship?

The assumption, as Obamacare architect Jonathan Gruber put it, is that the American voter is stupid. So it will probably also be decided that the American voter isn't smart enough to choose the right candidate. That can be decided for them by Obama who, of course, would choose himself.

You seem to have completely lost the plot.

 

[parousia70]

Bush must not be that much of a dictator since he allowed Obama to take his place as POTUS.

So when Obama "allows" the next elected president to take office, you'll drop your charge of "dictator"??

 

[LivingWordUnity]

So when Obama "allows" the next elected president to take office, you'll drop your charge of "dictator"??

If Obama drops out of the spotlight afterward the way that Bush did then yes. If Obama starts campaigning for the head position in the United Nations or European Union afterward then no.

 

[grandvizier1006]

I don't get you, Obama. Democrats are going to be winning the next couple of elections. Can't you just hurry up and finish your term already? We're getting tired of you, anyway.

 

[MoreCoffee]

I don't get you, Obama. Democrats are going to be winning the next couple of elections. Can't you just hurry up and finish your term already? We're getting tired of you, anyway.

Presidential terms are of fixed length. Right?

 

[ebia]

Presidential terms are of fixed length. Right?

Yeh, 4 years. but as absolute dictator of the supremely powerful United states, he can change the length of a year.